San Francisco Auto Repair

It is that time of the year when you can put on your flip-flops and hit the road. Admit it, there’s nothing like gathering the whole family for some long needed sunshine traveling. But, don’t let the heat get in the way of your family vacation. What’s worse than cruising along the coast excited to camp at the perfect beach spot when suddenly you find yourself pulled over to the side of the road with a broken-down radiator? In the hot months of the summer, cars need extra care in order to travel on schedule and safely. When preparing for your summer road trip, checking your car is just as important as bringing your sunscreen. The water stations located at the roadside rest stops, where you may have spotted some old cars engulfed in smoke, is an experience you certainly want to avoid. No matter how new your vehicle is, without the proper summer maintenance your car’s only hope on the road may be that water station. Your car’s cooling system will be put on overdriv ... read more

Here at B&W Service Center we have been dedicated to keeping our home and neighborhood clean. Today we are proud to announce that we are a “Clean & Green Business” certified by the Department of Health of the City and County of San Francisco. It has been five years since we have made the big leap in making our business as environmentally friendly as possible and we are committed to setting an example for sustainable businesses in the auto repair industry, where environmental concerns may be overlooked, and most importantly the community. The Clean & Green Program is one of the many Green Business Programs designed to encourage, enable and recognize businesses taking action to prevent pollution and conserve resources. The Clean & Green Program provides industry-specific technical assistance to San Francisco businesses. T ... read more

For some time you have been hearing an almost undetectable grinding sound every time you push the brake pedal. You finally bring in your car for routine maintenance, but it’s early in the morning and you are in a rush heading to work, so you forget to mention the grinding noise to your mechanic. Months go by and the noise is still there, even louder now, so you finally decide to bring in the vehicle to get it checked. After the inspection, your mechanic tells you that you need to repair not only the brake pads, but also the rotors, which were not due until the next brake job. Ignoring the fact that your brake pads needed to be replaced (grinding noise) caused the rotors to wear out, therefore adding an incremental expense that could have been easily avoided, if you had promptly communicated the noise to your technician. To avoid this risk and make it as easy as possible for our customers to describe what is wrong with their cars, we created the ... read more

If you are a car enthusiast like us here at B&W Service Center, we recommend you check out The New York International Automobile Show. The show features an eclectic mix of new vehicles from manufacturers both domestic and foreign, including concept cars, alternative fuel vehicles and the 2013 car of the year. Founded in 1900, the New York International Automobile Show became North America’s first automotive exhibition. For over a century, it has consistently pioneered a tradition of bringing innovative automotive ideas to a world stage. Within the last decade, the show has increased the amount of vehicles it presents, heightened its media attention and broken attendance records. Due to the fact that New York is one of the nation’s largest markets for new car and truck sales, the International Automobile Show has become one of the most important automotive events in the world. In addition to being a world-class public show ... read more

Odometer fraud can be a buyer’s worst nightmare. You think you just snagged the car of your dreams for the perfect price, only to have it break down on the freeway two weeks later. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimate, one in ten vehicles have had their odometers rolled back at one point in their life. While the digital meters found in most modern vehicles were thought to be less susceptible to tampering, they turned out to be even easier to manipulate for a fraudulent odometer reading. Since digital odometers have no visible moving parts, detecting fraud is a lot more difficult than a mechanical odometer. Auto manufacturers originally developed the digital odometer to fight tampering; like any new technology, scam artists quickly found a way to use it for the wrong reasons. Digital odometer calibrators can easily be purchased online, and despite disclaimers from sellers, are being used to reset digital odometers. Just like a ha ... read more

Gas prices. Nothing causes American motorists more financial frustration than seeing that number on the side of the gas station go up: “it was just $3.20 yesterday, how the heck is it already $4.50?!” The price of gas is on a steady climb upwards; just this month, there was a 14% spike in the price of a gallon. Luckily, there are a number of little solutions that, when added together, can save you lots of gas. Here at B&W Service Center, we never miss an opportunity to tell our customers about these 12 things you can do to save your pocket some stress: Drive Sensibly: aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) not only ruins your breaks but wastes gas as well. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. Use Cruise Control: using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and therefore save gas. Keep the Windows Rolled Up: many people thi ... read more

The thought of car maintenance can be overwhelming for some people, but in reality, it’s quick and easy. A few minutes spent here and there can add years to the life of your car and save loads of stress on you and your wallet. When you go to the mechanic, always let them know of any problems you are having. It makes our life a lot easier when a customer is able to give us a detailed description of symptoms. This cuts down diagnostic time and saves you money. Make sure to follow our ultimate preventative maintenance checklist to maximize the potential of your vehicle. MonthlyCheck Engine Light: watch for this and take appropriate action. Windshield Washer Fluid: take off the top of the wiper fluid reservoir and re-fill to the level indicated. While you’re pouring, put some on a rag and clean the bugs and gunk off the wiper blades, too. Remember, use washer fluid only, never water. Tire Pressure: ... read more

When people think of San Francisco, they think of amazing food. Only in San Francisco can your taste buds be taken on a culinary trip around the world through various curries, pastas and meats. With the high-cost of rent in San Francisco, many entrepreneurial chefs are taking their business to the streets in the form of Food Trucks. For about half the price of a restaurant meal, you can eat well, really well. Food Truck fare ranges from crème brûlée to tamales to even sushi. Events such as “Off the Grid” allow the all-stars of the Food Truck world to showcase some of their tastiest cuisines. Over 50 Food Trucks join together on a weekly basis to give San Franciscans a meal that is heavy on the taste buds and light on the pockets. Some of our all-time favorites include the “Rib Whip,” the first gourmet BBQ truck, and “Bacon Bacon,” the city’s very own bacon truck. Another is “Cupkates,” San Francisco’s first mobile cupcake truck. So where did all ... read more

Buying a used car could be a great deal, but it also carries some risks. The vehicle might have been seriously damaged in an accident or not properly maintained. So, to avoid purchasing a bucket, you should make sure to check a few things. Check the car body and interior – Walk around the vehicle and look for rust, dents or inconsistencies in frame alignment. Also, make sure that the wheels are vertically straight. On the other hand, the condition of the vehicle interior is another good indicator of how the vehicle was taken care of. Examine the interior for tears in upholstery, sun damage and general appearance. Also, make sure to check all the seat belts, the driver’s belt in particular. Service Records – When purchasing a used car, whether it is from a private party, dealer or friend, you should always ask for auto repair service records. It is critical that you verify if the vehicle was serviced regularly and if the ca ... read more

In the past five years, we have noticed that more and more people are trying to find ways to save money on car repair services. From the do-it-yourselfers who prefer to repair the car themselves to those who seek used parts, people are trying to make auto repair as cheap as possible. Unfortunately, this is something around which you do not want to cut corners. The first example is the tech-savvy generation. These motorists will Google a car’s symptoms, watch a couple of “how-to” videos on YouTube, suddenly feel like they are an ASE Certified technician and attempt to repair the car themselves. In the majority of the cases, they risk not only causing more damage to the vehicle but making the repairs even more expensive and also compromising their safety. Another way motorists try to save on their auto repair needs is by shopping at the big-box auto parts stores. Here the vehicle is carelessly diagnosed and customers are first given a trouble code and then sold a ... read more